PCSWE September 2024 Communique

Fall has arrived and we are looking forward to a fruitful program.  The following is a quick summary of some relevant information and a link to the latest National Group’s monthly newsletter

RECENT EVENTS

New Steering Committee Member and Facebook – We are very pleased to announce that Olav Kitchen has agreed to join your Steering Committee.  Olav has been managing our ZOOM requirements for our monthly meetings and he is currently developing a Facebook Group for Prostate Cancer Support Windsor/Essex.  If you have any ideas for what you would like to see on a Facebook Group, please let us know.  Thank-you Olav for agreeing to help our group!

VistatPrint Health/Wellness Fair – We recently manned a booth at the annual VistaPrint Health/Wellness Fair on Friday 13 September.  This was a very important activity for us due to the significant printing cost savings that directly benefit us.

Life After Fifty Be-Well Expo – We recently manned a booth at the annual Life After Fifty Be Well Expo on Saturday 28 September.  We also gave a presentation.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The following summarizes some of the presently known fall program activities:

Our Tuesday 8 October Meeting – Dr. Chris Langley (Chatham Urologist)

October’s monthly Hybrid-ZOOM meeting is planned for Tuesday 8 October.  Our featured speaker, Dr. Chris Langley, a Urologist with Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, will present to the group on the Contemporary Surgical Management of Prostate Cancer. 

After completing his urology residency training at the University of Ottawa, Langley completed a fellowship in advanced laparoscopy, robotics and endourology at McMaster University. Born and raised in Southwestern Ontario, Dr. Langley was pleased to move back to this area and join CKHA in 2023.

It is our intent to invite Chatham area folks and others across the country to this meeting.  We would like to thank Dr. Sorensen for arranging this speaker.

The meeting starts at 7pm at the Hospice (Empress St.).  For those who would like to attend remotely, please access via ZOOM with the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6953623178

Tuesday 12 November Meeting – Dr. Junaid Yousuf (Windsor Radiation Oncologist) – Dr. Junaid Yousuf (Windsor Radiation Oncologist) will be presenting to our group on Tuesday 12 November.  His focus will be radiation options for treating prostate cancer with an emphasis on Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT), which was recently initiated at Windsor regional Hospital.  We are very enthusiastic about hearing about this newly evolving program and the patient selection criterion.  It is our intent to invite folks across the country to this meeting.  We would like to again thank Dr. Sorensen for arranging this speaker.

December Xmas Party – It is our intent to have another Xmas get-together again this year, likely coincident with Legion 594’s bi-weekly all-you-can-eat Spaghetti Dinner.  We shall provide more details as we draw closer.

Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada (PCFC) National Conference – PCFC will be hosting a national conference on Saturday 26 October.  We will be participating.  Please let us know any ideas you might have on national-level strategic initiatives you feel are important.  They will be looking for ideas on what they should focus on this year.  Initial thoughts are advocacy/lobbying at the National and Provincial levels such as for having:

  • PSA tests publicly funded;
  • PSMA-PET testing publicly funded; and/or
  • National Urologist organizations “advertise” promote groups’ existence.

Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation Grown On Campaign – Over the next two months, we will be helping out with the Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation Grown-On Campaign that will be raising funds for the new DaVinci Surgical Robot at Windsor Regional Hospital.

The DaVinci Surgical Robot has been a key factor in the treatment and survival of several of our members and this campaign will directly benefit local prostate cancer patients going forward. The WCCF also provides direct support to our group by helping us defray some of our operating costs. We strongly encourage our members to support the Grow On Campaign by joining our PCSWE Grow On Team at this link:

Register to fundraise – FundRazr

Please remember that Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada (www.prostatecanada.ca), does an amazing job and provides significant valuable support to our group and support groups across the country.   We encourage you to visit their web-site; it is a mint of information and help that directly helps individuals.  The following is a link to their latest monthly newsletter:

Your Monthly Debrief for September 2024 (mailchi.mp)

Some of the more noteworthy points for this month include:

  • National Conference (“Hub”);
  • Speaker Events Still to Come The Prostate Cancer Experience – Six Stories of Inspiration and Resilience. How Drugs are Discovered, Developed and Approved for Prostate Cancer with Dr. Abby Collier
  • Light Up in Blue Continues:
    • 200+ landmarks lighting up nationwide reminding men to get checked
    • Thanks to the generous support of J&J and hundreds of Canadians nationwide, Light up in Blue is exceeding even last year’s successes.
  • One-on-one is up and running – information and contact details:
    • Training is free, online, and offered in a work-at-your-own-pace format, so you’re ready to start supporting within weeks.
    • One-on-one offers patients and partners the opportunity to give back and gain a sense of empowerment over their own journeys, through the sharing of their lived experiences with those needing support.
    • If you’re interested in offering, or receiving, One-on-One support, learn more and sign up at the link below.

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